Unlike other salons (which prioritize beautification), at Unvarnished, the safety and wellness of our clients comes first. We do not and will never offer “Russian” or “e-file” manicures. This year, the practice of completely eliminating the eponychium (the transparent living tissue along the proximal nail fold that most clients mistakenly refer to as their “cuticle”) with an electric file became …

I’m one of those extremely rare Venice natives–one of the last babies born at Venice Memorial Hospital and raised five minutes from the Gulf. Like most Venice kids, I grew up swimming across the Intercoastal, collecting shark’s teeth at Caspersen’s, fishing at the Jettys, and (of course) jumping off Sharky’s pier. After graduating from Venice High School, as a newly licensed cosmetologist, …

Tina Alberino, co-owner and business manager of Unvarnished, recently appeared in a podcast called The Broad Experience to talk about common labor abuses and exploitation in the beauty industry. We believe that salon professionals deserve better, and that our salons can do better by them. At Unvarnished, we’re committed to leading by example, and creating the change we want to see …

Clients, please stop insisting that you have “the new acrylic/gel hybrid product,” and assuming that because we refute its existence, we must not be familiar with it because “it is so new.” We refute its existence because it doesn’t exist. Our guests often report that their last nail technician used a “great new product” that “combines the strength of acrylic with the flexibility of gel.” These …

Aside from being loud, large, wasteful, time-consuming to properly clean, and highly prone to mechanical failure, spa pedicure “thrones” are the perfect breeding ground for bacteria (particularly the “piped” variety). Unfortunately, too few clients understand the risks they’re taking when they place their feet into those swirling waters. To properly clean a whirpool pedicure throne, the EPA requires that the basin …

Sanitation, Disinfection, and Sterilization: Know the Differences At Unvarnished, we frequently inform our guests that we practice surgical-grade sterilization. Not many people fully understand what that means and how our procedures make us different than standard salons and spas. We service many clients with advanced nail care needs. Many of these clients suffer from medical conditions (such as diabetes, which severely …

What can you expect during your first visit to Unvarnished? Upon entering, you’ll be greeted and checked-in by our guest coordinator and offered a beverage. Because we strictly adhere to our reservation schedules you’ll promptly be guided to your seat. Your nail specialist will present you with your sterilized tool packet so that you can verify the envelope is sealed …